Big Cheese Pizzeria
Big Cheese Pizzeria
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Big Cheese Pizzeria
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Post #1 - May 12th, 2006, 8:55 pmWe stopped and went into Big Cheese on Diversey and I think I just found my favorite thin crust pizza in Chicago. The crust is really satisfying -- very crisp, crunchy, and substantial at the same time. I had pepperoni, my boyfriend had the pepperoni, green peppers, and black olives. Why two pizzas, you ask? Well, the thin crust only comes in one size -- a modest 10 inches. The owner (a very nice woman named Connie runs the place with her husband) told me that when they try to make it any larger, the crust doesn't hold up properly. Straight out of the oven, both of our pizzas were great -- the crust was flavorful with a deep crunch and the sauce was well balanced. I was trying to eat fast because it's always a race against time with thin crust -- after around ten minutes, the crisp and crunchy texture usually starts to fade a bit and I was hopeful that they had created a ten inch solution. After fifteen minutes, I was only half-way finished and while I wanted to keep eating, I restrained myself so that I could re-heat the few remaining slices in the oven later so I could enjoy them in their ideal state of crunchy, crusty goodness.
I must say, I'm very happy about this place being right in the neighborhood -- I've been to John's Pizzeria on Western, Pat's, Pequod's, and Father and Son's in search of great thin crust and none of these places have completely satisfied my cravings, although they are all near-adequate. (My favorite thin crust pizza is at Jupiter's in Urbana-Champaign, of all places). It's a little early to tell, but based on my first experience tonight, this will likely become my thin crust regular. It's always a good sign when you find yourself watching your dining companion longingly -- because you wish he'd just leave the crust edges for you on his plate like he usually does, but no, he's eating them all.
I'm eager to try the Calzones next time -- if they're made out of the same dough, these should be quite promising. They may also be more substantial for a bigger eater since a 10 inch thin crust pizza is not very much food. (the 10" starts at $6.80) There are a lot of sandwiches on the menu that don't excite me very much but someone on the other board said he liked one of them. The restaurant is in the former space of the Puerto Rican place, La Rancho Luna (?) that closed last year.
Big Cheese
2554 W Diversey Ave
773-227-1122
(Dine in and Carry out)
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Post #2 - May 13th, 2006, 9:50 amThanks for the report - is the crust thin ala Vito & Nicks southside style or thin ala SpaccaNapoli with a bready raised crust edge?
Seth
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Post #3 - May 13th, 2006, 7:59 pmIt has a raised crust perimeter that tastes kind of like a breadstick. Sometimes, when I eat thin crust edges, it can have a sort of flat taste of flour/water, i.e. the dough itself doesn't have any flavor. I found the ones at Big Cheese to be quite satisfying. I was a little annoyed this morning to find that the boyfriend had eaten the rest of my pizza -- COLD, no less, so I can't attest to how well it re-heats although he declared it to be quite tasty, even the morning after.
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Post #4 - May 22nd, 2006, 1:57 pmif youre looking for great thin pizza you should definitely try candlelight. i believe its on 7200 western. unbelievable cracker thin. definitely the best thin in the city
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Post #5 - October 16th, 2006, 10:28 amPlaying around on GrubHub on Saturday, I was looking for something different to order in before Beck on Saturday night.
I came across Big Cheese & realized they are now delivering. My parents & I stopped here over the summer on the way home from Iowa & tried it; both my mom & I had "thin crust" personal pies & dad had some pasta with italian sausage.
This time, we tried the regular crust pizza & decided to go with one of the 3 "gourmet" options, the Vegetarian pizza. It comes with spinach, broccoli, fresh mushrooms, black olives & a blend of feta and cheddar (in addition to regular mozz). DAMN THIS PIE WAS TASTY!!!
It actually had a nice ode to burt's/pequod's the way the cheddar gave a hint of carmelization -- really tasty. In fact, while I normally use parmesan, hot red pepper flakes, garlic & any number of other spices to flavor my 'za, this time I didn't need any of it as the flavors were so great to begin with....
We also ordered a small salad (kinda bland, but the house dressing is great), and a serving of penne with italian sausage (learned how tasty it was the last time we picked up).
Just thought I'd let people know that Big Cheese now is delivering & remind people to check them out.
miss ellen
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Post #6 - October 17th, 2006, 9:11 pmI hope that this info has not been posted alread (if it has, then I apolgize) I was told that It is family owned. The original is in Rhode Island and has been around for a long time. I thought the dough was nice and chewey. I had eggplant and the eggplant pieces were deep fried - tasty.
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Post #7 - October 17th, 2006, 11:31 pmA tasty 10-inch lunch special (Wednesday to Sunday) can be had at Apart Pizza on 2205 W. Montrose in Chicago. Helpful pics from Gary can be found in the following post:
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=92541#92541
I don't know if this is the thin crust you had in mind, but I found it to be fairly flavorful. Incidentally, I had a 14-inch sausage from Vito & Nick's on Saturday. I still ate half of it right there in the dining room (with the smoking teens/young adults at the table over?), but I had to admit that V&N's simply didn't suit my peculiar thin-crust tastes. (Just my humble opinion, of course!)
Hope you keep finding great restaurants to share with us,
Dan
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Post #8 - February 13th, 2007, 8:18 pmWe decided to live on the edge tonight and Big Cheese was delivering, even in inclement weather. Pizza was reasonably priced, arrived quickly and was still nice and warm!
We ordered a large original crust, half "plain" half with green peppers and onions. Veggies were crisp, tasty and plentiful. The crust was bready but airy at the same time, not Chicago style thin crust, not New York style, but its own concept entirely. Whatever it was it was quite tasty and was devoured with speed and enthusiasm.
We'll be adding it to our routine. Eager to try the wheat crust!
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Post #9 - February 14th, 2007, 2:56 pmI'm so glad people are finding Big Cheese. I live right around the corner, and I too, think it is the best thin crust pizza in the city (better than Candlelight's, even).
I also like the original three-cheese pizza, there.
They make a great old-school iceberg lettuce type salad, too.
Cheers!
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Post #10 - February 14th, 2007, 3:16 pmHave you Lincoln Parkers tried delivery from My Pi? When I lived in the neighborhood, they had the best thin crust going. Very thin and very crunchy. As I recall, they delivered heart shaped pizzas for Valentine's Day.
My Pi
2417 N. Clark
Chicago, IL
773-929-3380Steve Z.
“Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
― Ludwig van Beethoven
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Post #11 - April 18th, 2007, 10:00 amWe ordered in Big Cheese last night as there was a menu on our front gate and all of our menus are still boxed up after the move (plus I had wanted to try it so the menu on the gate was simply fate).
Went with a 14" 3 Cheese Original Crust which has cheddar/feta/mozz, garlic and sliced tomatoes and also used the coupon for free mozz cheese bread.
Pizza was quite good. The crust is different than any other place I order from in that the whole pie is "puffy", but has a nice crunch to the outer layer. To be honest the style is most similar to Pizza Hut pan pizza though it is done quite well (Pizza Hut comparison is drawn on memory as I have not been there in at least 15 years). Overall it was quite good, as we will def be ordering again.
The cheese bread was great as well. Basically looks like a bagel dog with cheese inside, served with a very fresh tasting red sauce.
Only issue is that 14" is the biggest size they have, which seems like it would feed 3 people max. This is disappointing for us as we love leftover pizza
Jamie
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Post #12 - April 18th, 2007, 1:44 pmI've found myself ordering either 2 pizzas or some eggplant or pasta when I order from Big Cheese. I've enjoyed everything I've had from there but I agree that one pizza is not enough if yyou want anything left over.
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Post #13 - August 3rd, 2007, 11:51 pmhttp://www.craigslist.org/about/best/chi/367480756.html
To the dude who answers the phone at Big Cheese Pizza
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Date: 2007-07-05, 9:43PM CDT
So this is a little silly, but your phone manner is rockin'. You are so well-spoken. You have this cute way of chuckling, which makes you sound slightly unsure of yourself, even though you must talk to a million assholes a day and are excellent at your job.
Not only have you never fucked up my pizza, but you make me feel like my pizza order is the only pizza order that matters. That, my friend, is totally hot. I'll bet you wear glasses, can fold 8,000 pizza boxes in less than a minute, make funny faces while you're answering the phones, and, incidentally, are great in the sack.
So, even though I have never seen you, you are my official delivery-food crush. Other pizza places have been deleted from my phone. Father and Son has been sending me these "We Miss You! We Haven't Heard From You In a While!" coupons. Friendship Chinese is almost totally forgotten, as is Thai Spice. Festa, Vito Angelo's--all gone. And Little Clown Pizzeria is an even bigger joke than it was before.
In my dreams, someday it will be YOU who actually delivers the pizza to my apartment and stands in the vestibule for the rather-awkward exchange of money for cheese, dough, and tomato sauce. I know that you're not the delivery guy--you're the dude who answers the phone. But don't you think it would be nice someday to try something wacky and trade jobs with the delivery guy? Just to keep things "fresh?"
Only it is important that on this day, the day when you guys trade jobs, you let me know in advance. I am not sure how this will work out--I don't think you have any way of contacting me. But it is very important that on the day when you trade jobs with the delivery guy that I do not come to the door in old cook's pants which I have turned into pajamas and a Styx T-shirt, like I always do for the regular delivery guy, since he is not my type.
Now, I don't want you to think that I am some loser who orders pizza every night and listens to Styx. No. I am well-educated, attractive, and intelligent. I like to cook at home. A friend gave me the Styx T-shirt, and it's actually pretty cool. It's just that I work in a restaurant, and sometimes, I don't feel like doing a damn thing when I get done with a shift.
Not a damn thing, that is, except calling you to order a pizza. So, give some thought to the job-trade thing. You've seen all those pornos, right? Pizza Delivery Guy? Phone Repairman Guy? Notice that it's only the dudes who actually make the house calls who are in these pornos? If you don't come out from behind that phone, how are you ever going to get laid?
Or maybe we can just split the pizza and see how things progress from there.
Very Sincerely Yours,
Pepperoni, Mushroom, and Onion
Location: Logan Sq.
via http://the-gastronaut.blogspot.com/2007 ... ivery.html
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Post #14 - December 20th, 2007, 3:36 pmDid Big Cheese close?
Wife called last night to order dinner from them (been ages since we last did) and got a number disconnected message.
Can anyone confirm?
Jamie
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Post #15 - December 20th, 2007, 3:56 pmI hope not, I want to get a delivery job there to meet Pepperoni, Mushroom, and Onion.What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about?
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Post #16 - December 20th, 2007, 4:00 pmJamieson22 wrote:Did Big Cheese close?
Wife called last night to order dinner from them (been ages since we last did) and got a number disconnected message.
Can anyone confirm?
Jamie
Judging from the above, the owner/phone answer dude clearly "delivered the pizza himself" and met the 20-something, upwardly mobile, Styx wearing T-shirted, product of Logan Square gentrification gal of his dreams and closed the place down.
(I'll be here all week folks...try the veal and don't forget to tip your servers!)
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Post #17 - December 20th, 2007, 4:28 pmlet's see, we called a couple weeks back, hmmm, maybe on the 8th of december, and got a recorded message stating they were closed for remodeling, but i had a weird feeling......
a disconnected phone # certainly seems like this is bad news for big cheese.
ugh, we ordered the gourmet veggie pizza on a semi-regular basis & loved the fact they offered the whole wheat crust. i know it wasn't for everyone, but at least it was a somewhat healthy alternative & haven't found a decent replica.
well, that place never seemed to generate much business, and it was in an odd location between western & the highway on diversey....almost a forgotten stretch there.
big cheese, we will miss you & wish i had been a more consistent customer over the last few months.
bummer,
miss ellen
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Post #18 - December 20th, 2007, 8:00 pmSaw it on the MLS a few weeks ago. Windows are taped up and I saw somone pulling some equipment out of there yesterday.. It's too bad I liked the place, probably should have ordered from there more often...
It's a great space. If any of you are looking to open a place up, Logan Square is booming right now!
